Street Food Catering in England

Chi-town Dogs is a mobile food caterer that offers authentic Chicago style favourites especially the iconic Chicago style hot dog, a seasoned all-beef sausage smoked to perfection and then your choice of topping! Be specific about what you are looking for is their advice when looking to hire a provider.

What do you need to know from an organiser in order to provide a comprehensive quote?

It is extremely helpful to know the following when providing a quote: Date/Time/Location information, approximate attendance expected, Power/Water availability, Parking information, any special requirements or dietary needs. It is also helpful to know the demographics of the event and who is being catered for. Our approach would be different if we were catering to kids/teenagers as opposed to an adult based event.

What advice would you give to a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?

Be specific about what you are looking for. This would be from the style of food to the aesthetics of the setup. Do some research on the company if you have been provided with a quote. Most have Instagram or other social media sites where you can get a good idea of their product offerings. This will help you get a better understanding of what you are about to purchase. Have a look into the comments as well. This can sometimes give you feedback on how the trader is with other customers or even just what other people are saying about their brand.

Please tell us a little bit about how and why you started the business.

I have worked in retail management for most of my adult life. I have had some successes, but it was never my passion. While I loved what I did, I never enjoyed it as much as I enjoy cooking. I am pretty good in a kitchen and have a good business mindset. After leaving the company I was with for almost 6 years, I decided to go into business for myself. Being from Chicago, it seemed a logical choice to bring those great Chicago flavours, here to London.

Please tell us about a booking you've had through Add to Event, how did it go? Would you recommend us to others?

I was contacted by a brewery that found me on Add to Event. They often open their beer garden to those that have street food businesses and allow them to trade on site. This helps them to increase their foot traffic by offering food and gets their new beverages more known and purchased. When I did this particular event, it was extremely cold and wasn't a great time of year for opening a beer garden. While I did stay positive on the event, I would wait for warmer weather and try to bring in more people leading up to the event, using tools like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.